Giglio: Divers were searching for 19 people known missing aboard the capsized Costa Concordia as officials weighed whether to start pumping some half a million gallons of fuel from the ship to avoid an environmental catastrophe.
The search was continuing around the clock, with divers focusing on areas where the missing were last seen, places were they might have gathered for evacuation and individual cabins.
The civil protection official in charge of the rescue effort was meeting with technical experts on Monday morning to determine if operations to pump the fuel could begin in tandem with the ongoing search. Franco Gabrielli was to meet later with prosecutors to discuss the implications of halting the search. A decision was expected in the afternoon.
Bureau Report
First Published: Monday, January 23, 2012, 15:14